One of the things people are most concerned with in their homes is cleanliness. We make sure that our homes are uncluttered and use a number of different germ-killing products to ensure that our homes are a safe and healthy place to be. The problem is, there might be one thing you’re consistently overlooking, and it is just about the filthiest thing in your home. It’s your carpet.

Dirt and dustOver the course of a single year, more than a pound of dirt can accumulate in and under your home’s carpeting. Furthermore, much of the dust in your home can settle in your carpet, and more than 20,000 dust mites can live comfortably in a single ounce of it. You should make sure to vacuum frequently to remove dirt, dust, and other debris from your carpet. Make sure your vacuum has a quality filter and that you change it regularly.

MoldEspecially in a high humidity areas, carpets can become home to mold, which can cause respiratory or similar illnesses in you and your family. Never install carpeting in rooms like the bathroom or the kitchen because these are often high humidity rooms as well. Mold can cause poor health and sickness in your family and create a pretty unpleasant smell, but it isn’t the most dangerous organism that might be lurking in your carpet.

VirusesAside from all that dirt, dust, and mold, there may be something even more malevolent literally living in your carpeting. Viruses can live for an extended period of time in a dirty carpet; for example, the vomit-inducing Norovirus can survive on an uncleaned carpet for up to a month. Though this can be hard to prevent, especially if there is a lot of traffic in and out of your home, but removing your shoes at the door and washing your hands as soon as you come in from outdoors can help significantly.

Though there are measures that you can take to keep your carpets relatively clean like removing your shoes and vacuuming regularly, you really should hire residential carpet cleaning services once every year to year and a half. Unless you have the right carpet cleaning equipment, chances are you are not going to be able to get your carpet as clean as the professionals. Professional carpet cleaning services can also prolong the life of your carpet by removing stains and rejuvenating carpet fibers.